The Matani monastery () is part of a complex of buildings in the mountains 3–5 km west of the town of Matani in the

Akhmeta district Akhmeta ( ka, ახმეტის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Axmeṫis municiṗaliṫeṫi'') is the administrative – territorial unit in Eastern Georgia, in the region of Kakheti. The administrative center of Akhmeta munic ...

of the

Kakheti Kakheti ( ka, კახეთი ''K’akheti''; ) is a region ( mkhare) formed in the 1990s in eastern Georgia from the historical province of Kakheti and the small, mountainous province of Tusheti. Telavi is its capital. The region comprises e ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

. The monastery of Matani belongs to the Diocese of Alaverdi, although it does not remain active.

Architecture

The monastery complex consists of several churches and other monastic buildings that are surrounded by a low

enclosure Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or " common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...

. The main building of the monastery is a rectangular

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

(10X8.7 m), consisting of three

naves The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, it was built from the 5th to the 6th century in carved stone. In the 8th and 9th centuries, two churches of a single nave of smaller size were built. These buildings are attached to the north and west walls of the main church. In the fifteenth century, a bell tower was built in the monastery. During this time, the walls of the main church were painted with fresco painting, which has been partially maintained.საქართველოს ისტორიისა და კულტურის ძეგლთა აღწერილობა, Band. 2. Tbilisi, 2004, p. 117 To the west of the main basilica, there is still a small church from the late Middle Ages. The main building of the monastery was built from the middle of the 5th century. It is rectangular (10X8.7 m), built in

cobblestones Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct f ...

and small stone. Some of the basic construction parts are stone spun with

yellowish Varieties of the color yellow may differ in hue, chroma (also called saturation, intensity, or colorfulness) or lightness (or value, tone, or brightness), or in two or three of these qualities. Variations in value are also called tints and shad ...

tones. In the eastern part, it has an

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

whose axial sliding is cut. Inside the altar of the altar, the wall is constructed with a rectangular

trapezoid A quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides is called a trapezoid () in American and Canadian English. In British and other forms of English, it is called a trapezium (). A trapezoid is necessarily a convex quadrilateral in Eucli ...

. In the VIII-IX centuries, the eastern part of the longitudinal walls of the upper half and part of the chambers were restored. The cruise of the north is without substantial changes, at the edge of this cruise is a staircase that leads to an exterior door that is covered with a semi arched arch.

Gallery

File:Fresco of Matani 2.jpg, Painting of the altar. File:Fresco of Matani 4.jpg, Western wall painting. File:Panorama of Matani Tskhrakara.jpg, Panorama of Matani

References

{{Authority control Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia Christian monasteries in Georgia (country) Tourist attractions in Kakheti